payroll and I’ve never evaluated them
on the basis of their homosexual
behaviour; I evaluate them based
on their competence and I’ve never
discriminated against them as people.
My main concern is making this
particular sexual behaviour a societal
norm, where marriages are redefined.
I am adamantly against this push to not
just normalise this, but to club those on
the heads who object to this. To me, it’s
not fair that I am unable to speak out
and that I’m branded as a hate speech
monger and a bigot when I object to
this. That’s reverse discrimination.
There’s a lot of inconsistency in the
language they use. They are asking
for tolerance but are not tolerant of
those who speak out. However, I will
go on speaking what I believe is right
and what is best for society. Even
though not every heterosexual couple
will have children, at least every child
will have a father and a mother.
of masculinity and femininity, then
the only models are their parents.
But, increasingly, we have become
a society where anything goes and
where the traditional family model of
a father and mother is breaking up.
Let me tell you: I would be the first to
stand up for a homosexual if he or she
is doing a good job in the company
but is fired solely on the basis of
homosexuality. They’ve been around
for a long time and if someone makes
them feel lousy, then we should stand
up for them.
However, by changing the laws, we
have to think of the social implications
and costs. We have a responsibility to
shape our society into what is good
in the long run. Our marriages are
already having problems (and I’m not
blaming the homosexual community
for this); we need to strengthen this
and changing the laws will only create
further complications.
...from pg12
point of time, I was extremely busy
with the opportunities that I was
given and the success I had slowly
accumulated. I was travelling so much
that unfortunately, I was absent from
my children’s lives.
It was just for a couple of years
but it was during the period when
my children’s values were being
crystallised and when they were finally
forging their own identity. In these
crucial years, if you are not intensely
engaged in their growth, then the
efforts you have made in the past will
be wiped out just like that.
Could you share with me what
exactly happened?
Sure. My eldest daughter, who is
working with me now on my magic
shows, formed her own set of values
during adolescence based on her
interactions with her friends. I’ve
come to realised that, at that age,
friends are more important than
family. Of course, as you know, she
became a single mother.
It took me a long time to really engage
with her but thankfully, we did. This
whole episode of her being a single
mother and me accepting it has
demonstrated to her that I love her
even though I might disagree with the
choice she made.
There have been a number of people
who called you a hypocrite because
you turned a blind eye to the faults of
your daughter.
I think a hypocrite is someone who
pretends to be something that they’re
not. However, I’ve always been a
transparent person, so when my
daughter became a single mother,
I spoke to my church and shared
with them my problems. I was very
14
Family & Life • May 2014
accountable to them and I’ve not tried
to make something right when it
was wrong.
For my daughter, I’ve always told her
that she’s done something wrong but
I’ve also always said that there are
no illegitimate children on this earth;
there are only illegitimate parents.
I’ve never said that anybody is perfect
and beyond reproach. In fact, it’s
probably because I’m so open that my
attackers know more about me than
other public figures. I’ve never hidden
anything. By using my daughter
to attack me, it reveals more of
themselves than it reveals of me! I
love my grandson and he has really
pulled the whole family together.
Your stance on homosexuality has
been well-documented in the media.
First, I am not just
against homosexuality.
As a Christian, I am
against any form of
sexual immorality
– whether it’s premarital or extramarital, whether
it’s heterosexual or
homosexual. Objecting
to it doesn’t mean that I
go around condemning
this behaviour.
I have friends who are
divorced or have slept
around, but we still
hang out even though I
don’t agree with
their lifestyles.
Second, I have worked
with homosexuals
and I’ve never had any
problems accepting
them. There are actually
a few of them on my
I’ve read many report 2F